Seventh Heaven for Steady Perez

Carlos Perez has been frustrated, figuring his disturbing performance wouldn’t improve unless he overcame an obstacle.

The Dodger pitcher finally cleared his personal hurdle Friday night, completing an effective seventh inning for the first time this season in a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

Perez (1-3) returned to the starting rotation after missing a turn because batters weren’t missing his pitches, and the left-hander appeared to make good use of his time off.

His strong effort helped the Dodgers (13-10) win the opener of the three-game series.

“That was a big game for him, and for the ballclub, because of his struggles,” Manager Davey Johnson said of Perez, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. “That was exactly what the doctor ordered.”

The Dodgers staked Perez to a 3-1 lead by scoring three runs in the fifth. They were helped by a wild pitch by Philadelphia starter Paul Byrd (2-2), and an error by catcher Mike Lieberthal.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre remained hot, going two for four with a run batted in. At one point, Beltre had six consecutive hits the last two games. Leadoff batter Eric Young’s run-scoring double in the ninth gave the Dodgers their fourth run, providing the winning margin.

The bullpen continued its strong work, preserving the Dodgers’ fourth victory in four games on the trip, though not without anxious moments for Johnson. Setup man Alan Mills pitched a scoreless eighth, but closer Jeff Shaw struggled in the ninth, giving up three hits.

Scott Rolen’s two-out, two-run double against Shaw cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3, stirring hope among what remained of a crowd of 20,024. Johnson instructed Shaw to intentionally walk Rico Brogna--putting the winning run on base--to face the struggling Ron Gant.

The strategy worked. Gant struck out swinging to end the game, giving Shaw his seventh save in as many opportunities.

And that finally gave Perez peace of mind.

“I was thinking before I got to the mound [Friday] about what happened in my first two starts,” he said, alluding to getting hit hard at the same points in those outings. “Every time, in the seventh inning, that’s when it happened to me.

“I didn’t want that to happen again. I knew I had to keep going, I knew I couldn’t be afraid to throw my fastball inside to anybody. I’m glad I wasn’t afraid to do that.”

Perez was pounded in the seventh inning of his first two starts after cruising through the first six innings each time. He was chased after only 3 2/3 innings in his last start April 19, prompting Johnson to remove him from the five-man rotation.

Perez pitched 4 1/3 solid innings in relief during a 12-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 23, and he came through against the Phillies.

He was strong through the seventh this time, giving up six hits and one run. Perez struck out one and walked three while throwing 109 pitches, including 66 strikes. In the process, he lowered his earned-run average from 7.06 to 5.65.

“In my first two starts, I was doing great from the first to the sixth innings,” he said. “Then after two outs in the seventh, that’s when I get hit. I was watching myself tonight.”

The difference Friday?

“I had a good fastball,” he said. “Sometimes, I have to forget about my breaking ball, except maybe early in the count. I threw my fastball inside a lot. I think that was it for me.”

Catcher Todd Hundley agreed.

“He threw his fastball for strikes whenever we needed it--that was the key,” he said. “He used his fastball to set up his off-speed stuff, instead of vice versa. You just have to make your adjustments game after game, and that’s what he did.”

This time, it worked.